Cigarette



June 24,v 1941. J, C, SENEY 2,246,929

CIGARETTE Filed March 28, 1949' Patented June 24, 1941 James C. Seney, Lawrence, Mass., one-fourth to James J. Sullivan,

Mass., and three-eghths to George M.

Lawrence, Mass.

assignor of Andover, Austin,

Application March 28, 1940, Serial No. 326,376

6 Claims.- (Cl. 131-4) My present invention relates to cigarettes, and more particularly to an improved cigarette having a fire-stop member located inside the cigarette.

It is a well known fact that cigarettes are great fire hazards. Thousands of fir'es are started every year from cigarette butts throwndown while in a lighted condition.

Frequently automobilists throw lighted cigarette butts from moving automobiles onto the roadsides and thereby cause serious and costly forest fires. Other forest res are caused from people dropping lighted cigarettes lon the ground. Numerous household furnishings become damaged when lighted cigarettes are left too long, as on the edge of a table, etc.

In my present invention, I have produced a cigarette with a fire-stop member located inside of the cigarette adjacentI one end at approximately the distance from the mouth end where most cigarette smokers throw away the cigarette. When the cigarette burns up to this fire-stop member, the cigarette automatically goes out.

The principal object of my invention-therefore, is anl improved cigarette;

Another object is a cigarette which will automatically become extinguished ata predetermined point, and

Other objects and novel features comprising the construction and operation of my device will be apparent as the description of the same progresses. 4

In the drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cigarette, the scale being exaggerated;

Fig. 2 is another exaggerated perspective view of my improved cigarette, one end of the cigarette casing being split open for a portion of its length to show the relationship between the tobacco and the fire-stop member, and

Fig. 3 is a greatly exaggerated cross-section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the mouth end of the cigarette and inclosed iirestop member in cross-section in greater detail.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, I indicates the casing of a cigarette. As is well known such casings are made from special paper.

At II and I2 I have shown a packing of cigarette tobacco, the two packings II and I2 being divided -by a pellet I3. This pellet I3 is preferably impervious to smoke and composed of a core I4 composed of some suitable fire resisting matewhich is surrial, as asbestos or the like and Other rounded with a covering of tin-foil I5.

core material such as cork etc. may be used, or I may make the entire pellet of tin-foil. The shape of the pellet I3 may be rectangular, as shown.

In the drawing, I have shown tobacco at I I but any other material may be used on the mouth end if desired. In the use of tobacco end the appearance of the cigarette is identical with any conventional brand. I

It will be noted that the tin-foil covering I5 is provided with a rough or crinkled surface, as shown in Fig. 3 and indicated in Fig. 2. This irregular surface provided on the pellet provides a smoke passage lbetween the pellet I3 and the inside surface of the casing I0.

In operation, the cigarette is lighted and smoked in the same manner as any conventional cigarette but when the tobacco I2 has been burned up to the face of the pellet I3 the cigarette becomes extinguished automatically. The

extinguishing of the cigarette takes place whether or not the cigarette is being smoked at the time. If the cigarette has been left on an ash tray or on the edge of a table or other piece of furniture no damage occurs. I

It will thus be seen that I have invented a safety cigarette of great, usefulness and while I may change the shape and proportions of the pellet or its position in the cigarette casing it is to be understood that such variations are within my rights' and in keeping with the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my claim as new is:

invention, what I 1. An improved cigarette comprising in combination, an outer casing, a fire resisting member located insidesaid casing, said iire resisting member 'comprising a pellet having an outer shell composed of tin-foil and acore of re resisting material, said pellet being located in said casing a'ijacent one end of said cigarette. and cigarette tobacco located in said casing at either end of said pellet.'

2. In an improved cigarette having an outer combustible casing and combustible tobacco 1ocated within said casing, a tin-foil covered pellet located inside of said casing adjacent one end of said cigarette, the said tobacco being separated by said pellet. i

3. An improved cigarette having an outer casing and tobacco located within said casing, a tinfoil covered fire-resisting iire-stop member located inside said casing adjacent one end thereof, and a smoke passage located between said casing and said fire-stop mem-ber.

f 4. An improved cigarette comprising in combion the mouth nation, an outer casing, a pellet located inside said casing, said pellet having a re resisting core covered with tin-foil, the said tin-foil having an irregular surface contacting the inner surface of said casing, smoke passages comprising said irregularities located between said tin-foil and the inner surface of said casing, and tobacco located inside of said casing and contacting with one end o1' said pellet.

5. In a cigarette having an outer casing and an l0l inner packing of tobacco, a :tlre-stop member located in said casing adjacent one end of said cigarette, said re-stop member having a tin foil irregular crinkled surface, and a smoke passage between said're-stop member and the inner surface of said casing, said passage being formed by gneans of the irregularities comprising the crinkled surface of said tin-foil. l

6. An improved cigarette, said cigarette having an outer casing, a tire-stop member impervious to smoke located in said casing and contacting the inner side oi' said casing, the said fire-stop member having an outer irregular surface forming irregular smoke passages. and tobacco located adjacent both ends of said fire-stop, said ilrestop member having substantially the same crosssectional area as that of the tobacco.

JAMES C. SENEY. 

